For years I've been stirring up a lot of controversy whenever I wore my shirt "No Ring, No Thing". I've been stopped in the streets by men taunting me saying they'll get me a ring. One guy even pulled out a ring pop from out of his pocket! As amusing and funny are some of these responses, let's get down to the nitty- gritty about this phrase. For those who are unsure about what that phrase really means, allow me to enlighten you. "No Ring, No Thing" is a call back to purity and holiness (1 Peter 1:15 & 16). It's saying, "Listen, I can't give you my 'goodies' until you commit to me in marriage". Our bodies are such a sacred, prized possession so why should we give it away so freely and easily to any Tom, Dick (no pun intended) and Harry? The highest level of commitment that we can make to a person is marriage. Therefore, why cast your pearls to swine (Matthew 7:6)? In the medical field, one organ can go for millions!! So why should anyone give their body away freely to someone who doesn't have a lifelong commitment to them?

When God gave the mandate in 1 Corinthians 6:13 that our bodies are not for fornication, I don't think He was trying to punish us but rather He was trying to protect us. Some folks may say that's why we have condoms to "protect us". I'm not referring to protecting us from getting pregnant or any Sexually transmitted disease, I'm talking about emotional and spiritual protection. Condoms or any other form of birth control can't protect us against SPIRITUALLY transmitted diseases. Think to yourself, have you ever felt any guilt, shame, embarrassment, humiliation or even loneliness after having sex with someone you're not married to? You gave yourself completely to this person only to find out they weren't "the one". Those are some of the repercussion that God is trying to protect us from. He knows that we are fragile and He wants to protect us from being broken.

So in closing, I want to encourage you today that regardless of your sexual experiences, you can start anew. Just because you may have had sex before doesn't mean you must continue doing so. Also, even if you're in a relationship now and have been having sex with that person; it's never too late to decide to "close the kitchen". As long as you're still alive, it's a new day and a new opportunity to get things right! CLINK CLINK, SHUT IT DOWN!